About Dana Foland
teaching survival swim lessons is way more than a "job"
My education and previous career is in Mental Health and Addiction Nursing. I have a bachelor's degree in Nursing. In 2019 I lost my two year old son, CJ, to a fatal drowning accident. After losing him, I started a non profit organization called Swim For CJ Inc. to raise awareness on water safety and drowning prevention in Hernando County, Florida. I never want another family to go through what my family has to go through, but unfortunately, drowning remains to be the leading cause of death for children under the age of 5. In 2021 I decided to take my advocating to another level, and become a certified ISR instructor. I completed my ISR training in October of 2021 and I am so excited to be able to not only honor my son in this way, but also to be a part of empowering other children to learn survival swim skills.
trust the process
I am 100% all in when it comes to supporting you and your child through their lesson experience.
Each lesson is tailored to your child and their specific focus for the day. Meeting each child where they are allows for personalized safe lessons that gets us closer to the overall goal of learning how to self rescue in the water.
competence and confidence
In addition to getting to watch children learn and execute their survival swim skills, one of the absolute best and most rewarding things to see, is the confidence that kids develop during their lessons. It's common for children to be hesitant when first developing their skills and while they get to know me, but before long, they are showing confidence in themselves as they learn to swim-float-swim!